Last updated: 2026-05-10

PC Installation

Detailed installation guide for hicli on Linux and macOS. Windows is supported via WSL2 only.

Prerequisite: Tailscale must be installed and logged in.

One-Click Install

curl -fsSL https://www.yinbin.ink/install.sh | bash

The installer:

1. Detects your system architecture (OS + CPU)
2. Downloads the binary from GitHub Releases (falls back to yinbin.ink mirror)
3. Installs to ~/.local/bin/hicli
4. Checks if ~/.local/bin is in your PATH

After installation, if PATH is not yet active, either restart your terminal or run the suggested command.

Alternative (direct from GitHub):

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wsyb/mobileterm/main/hiwebsite/public/install.sh | bash

Manual Install

If the one-click installer doesn’t work, download the binary directly:

chmod +x hicli-* && mv hicli-* ~/.local/bin/hicli

Verify installation:

hicli --version

Dependencies

hicli requires these tools to be installed on your PC:

hicli pair checks all dependencies automatically and shows install commands if anything is missing.

Install Dependencies

macOS:

# Enable sshd
sudo systemsetup -setremotelogin on

# Install mosh and tmux (MacPorts — recommended)
sudo port install mosh tmux

# Or Homebrew
brew install mosh tmux

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):

sudo apt install -y openssh-server mosh tmux
sudo systemctl start sshd
sudo systemctl enable sshd

Linux (Fedora/RHEL):

sudo dnf install -y openssh-server mosh tmux
sudo systemctl start sshd
sudo systemctl enable sshd

Linux (Arch):

sudo pacman -S openssh mosh tmux
sudo systemctl start sshd

Linux (Alpine):

sudo apk add openssh mosh tmux
rc-service sshd start

Verify Dependencies

# Check sshd
sshd -V 2>&1 || echo "sshd not found"

# Check mosh
mosh --version

# Check tmux
tmux -V

Pair Your Phone

Once dependencies are installed:

hicli pair

The command will:

1. Get your Tailscale IP
2. Check all dependencies
3. Configure tmux mouse mode in ~/.tmux.conf
4. Install AI tool notification hooks
5. Generate a QR code for your phone to scan

See Command Reference for detailed output and behavior.

Diagnostics

If something isn’t working:

hicli doctor

This checks Tailscale status, config permissions, SSH service, mosh installation, and notification hooks. It can auto-fix many issues.

See Command Reference for details.

macOS-Specific Notes

Gatekeeper Warning

If macOS blocks the binary with “unidentified developer”:

1. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security
2. Find the blocked item and click “Allow Anyway”

Or remove the quarantine attribute:

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine ~/.local/bin/hicli

SSH on macOS

macOS uses systemsetup to enable remote login:

# Enable sshd
sudo systemsetup -setremotelogin on

# Check status
sudo systemsetup -getremotelogin

PATH on macOS

If hicli is not found after install, add ~/.local/bin to your PATH:

# For zsh (default on macOS)
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

# For bash
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Next Steps

• Android Installation — Install the phone app and scan QR
• Command Reference — All hicli commands and options
• Troubleshooting — Common issues and solutions